Belt-controlling mechanism



(No Model.)

G. H. PHELPS".

BELT CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

No. 255,450. Patented Mar. 28,1882.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. PHELPS, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BELT-CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,450, dated March 28, 1852.

' Application filed January 14, 1882. (No model.)

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. PHELPS, of of Newton, county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvementin Belt-OontrollingMechanisms,of which machine to be driven, or when the belt is left belt on the fly-wheel, and consequently the slack to cease to operate the machine; and at the same time I prefer to providethebelt-tightening lever with a brake which will be applied directly to either the driving-belt or the flywheel of the machine being driven as soon'as the belt is permitted to become slack to stop the movementof the machine. In accordance with my invention the driving-belt extended from the fly-wheel of the machine to a beltpnlley on a power-driven shaft of a shop or mill is acted upon by two sheaves carried by a lever, herein shown as pivoted to a hanger below the work-bench upon which the machine being driven stauds,the said two sheaves causing the driving-belt to be strained sufficiel'itly to exert more or less friction upon the pulley of the driven shaft and the fly-wheel, to thus insure the application to the fly-wheel of sufficient power to drive it, according tothe work being done, The operator, by more or less pressure on the lever carrying thesaid sheaves, may regulate the amount of slippage of the speed of the machine may be kept equal to the speed of the power-shaft which moves the belt, or be made to run slower than the said powershaft. I have providedthe belt tig'htening le= ver with a brake which,-as the, driving-belt is slackened sufficiently to stop the machine, will come against the driving-belt and stop it quickly; or the said brake under like circumstances may operate directly against the flywheel of the sewinganachine.

Figure 1 represents in cross'section a shopbench or work-table having at opposite sides of it my belt tightening apparatus; and Fig. 2, a view of the belt-tightener at the left of Fig. 1, looking at it from the left of said figure.

The bench or table a, having the central trough, is of usual shape but instead of sup porting it upon wooden beams, as heretofore, I have produced a series of metallic cross: pieces, I), inclined downward at b, and restint. at their ends on legs or uprights b braces I) being extended from the parts I) to the sail legs, as shown in Fig. 1.

At the left of Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2 I have shown a belt or fly wheel, W, such as is connected with a Wheeler 85 Wilson No. S sewing-machine, and at the right of Fig. 1 a belt or fly wheel of a machine, such as the Singer or the Domestic, said wheels W being supposed to be on the main shafts of the said machines and secured thereto in any usual way.

At the right of the drawings, Fig. 1,to avoid showing a sewing-machine, I have erected a standard, 0, to support the wheel W. 3

The shaftd, supported in suitable adjustable bearings connected with the cross-pieces b b,

but not herein shown, becausenot of my inven-' tion, is driven continuously by power in any usual manner, and is by me called the powershaft. This power-shaft, run continuously, is to be employed to run, as may bedesired, any or all of the sewing-machines which are mounted upon the work-bench at each side. The power-shaft has a pulley, 01 for each sewingmachine, and machines at opposite sides of .the work-bench are driven from said pulleys by belts c, which are passed from pulleys (1 about the belt-receiving parts of pulleysor flywheels W, of usual construction, connected with the sewing or other machines to be driven. These belts may, be open or crossed, as desired. Portions of each belt between pulleys d and pulleys or fly-wheels W are made to bear against sheaves f g, carried by a lever, h, pivoted at k on a hanger, i, the said lever having preferably a foot pad or projection, h Movement of the lower end of lever h by the foot, as I prefer, toward the shaft 01 will cause the sheavesf g to strain the belt 6, and the machine may, as the belt 8 is tightened, be driven more or less rapidly until the speed of the pulley or fly-wheel W is equal to the speed of the pulley d Releasing the pressure on the lever slacks thebelt 0, so that its friction on pulley d and fly-wheel W is insufficient to drive the fly-wheel. As the pressare of the sheavesfg on belt 0 is taken off, outward movement of the lower end of lever h causes the pad in of arm n to be pressed directly against the fly-wheel W, as at the left of Fig. 1, or against the belt, as at the right of Fig. 1, the said brake in either instance acting to immediately check the fly-wheel or the belt, preventing either of them, as the case may be, from running longer than desired. A suitable spring, 0, keeps the brake up to its work, and normally keeps the lever h in the position shown in the drawings, with the brake against the fiy-wheel or band a. The arm n, carrying the brake at the right of Fig. 1, is shown as a lever; but the arm n at the left of Fig. l is a rigid stud.

I am aware thata belt has been kept taut by the action of a sheave bearing thereon, so I do not broadly claim a sheave for such purpose.

I claim- 1. The driver-shaft and its pulley, and pulley or fly-wheel W. and belt 0, extended over them, combined with a lever, h, having two sheaves adapted to be pressed against and tighten the said belt when it is desired to drive the pulley or fly-wheel, substantially as described.

2. The pulley or fly-wheel, the continuouslydriven pulley d, the belt e, extended over them, and the lever having the two sheaves to press against the said belt to tighten it only when the fly-wheel is to be driven by the belt, combined with a brake, m, actuated by the said lever to assistin stopping the fiy-wheel quickly when the pressure of the sheaves against the belt 0 is released, substantially as described.

3. In a bench for sewingand othermachines, the metallic cross beams 01' girders b I), shaped as shown and described, combined with the legs I) to support them, as set forth.

In testimony whereofl have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE H. PHELPS.

Witnesses:

G. W. Ganeouy, BERNICE J. N OYES. 

